Fuel efficiency, reliability and affordability has made the Honda Civic one of the most well known cars in the world over the last 40 years of its production. The Civic has long been the top vehicle in the most competitive compact car category and many a story exist of Civics lasting hundreds of thousands of kilometers without any major work being required.
The 2015 Honda Civic lives up to this hefty reputation and delivers everything it’s known for in a well built, pleasingly designed, futuristic package. The versatile base of the 2015 Honda Civic allows buyers a choice of various engines, performances, trim levels and choice of sedan or coupe. With the base model Civic starting at $15,750, the Civic Hybrid starting at $27,200 and the performance oriented Civic Si starting at $26,850, there’s a 2015 Honda Civic to please everyone!
ENGINE & DRIVE
The 2015 Honda Civic sedan sports a 1.8L four cylinder engine, outputting 143hp and paired to a manual or continuously variable transmission. While the engine power is a bit uninspired for the non Si models, the refined driving feel and fuel efficiency more than make up for it. Our 250km combined city and highway test drive recorded a 7.2 L/100km fuel consumption for the 2015 Civic, which is truly an efficient fuel economy when compared to other compact cars in its class.
The 2015 Honda Civic drives like a vehicle that has been refined over its 40 years of production! The Civic’s overall ride feels comfortable, quiet and relaxing. The CVT transmission provides a smooth acceleration and does a great job at downshifting for power. However, the amount of downshift noise created makes you think the acceleration would be much stronger than it actually is!
The solid and precise steering combined with the well balanced handling provides a reassured feeling when manoeuvring. The cabin offers great visibility for the driver with large windows all around and additional front side corner glass for the hard to see places. There is even a side camera for right turns and lane changes offering a quick glimpse down the right side lane to ensure all is clear.
INTERIOR FUNCTIONALITY
The interior of the 2015 Honda Civic is a driver focused cockpit which points the center console towards the driver while keeping the important information on displays at the top of the dash so drivers have controls within easy reach and don’t have to take their eyes off the road. At first glance however, the dash can appear overwhelming with 5 screens displaying a variety of information. Once you get used to the interior layout, it offers great functionality and customization with the ability to select what information appears on which screen.
I felt that navigating the main dash mounted screen to control the audio, phone, navigation and settings could have been improved. It takes a few extra button presses to get to the various controls and I especially found the touch screen volume control annoying and would have preferred a physical knob. Although tedious to navigate, at least the display was straightforward and simple for anyone to learn to use and steering wheel controls are also offered as an alternative.
The cabin of the 2015 Honda Civic provides its passengers with a quiet environment and does a great job of minimizing exterior noise. The seats are firm and comfortable for a long journey despite the lack of adjustable lumbar support. There are ample areas for interior storage as well as a huge trunk for larger cargo. An often overlooked but much appreciated feature is the adjustable armrest for the driver, since drivers come in all shapes and sizes!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Honda Civic is one of the most well known cars in the compact category due to its reliability, efficiency and durability. Honda has long been able to stay ahead of the pack by offering the latest technology, features and design cues and the 2015 Civic is a shining example of this. After taking the 2015 Honda Civic for a test drive, you’ll soon realize why it has been the best-selling car in Canada for the past 17 years!
